01Nov17

New York Resident Charged With Providing Material Support to ISIS, Extradited to United States

An indictment was unsealed today charging Mirsad Kandic, 36, a legal permanent resident of the United
States who left the United States in 2013, with one count of conspiring to provide material support and
resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization,
resulting in death, and five counts of providing and attempting to provide material support and resources
to ISIS, including personnel, equipment and false documentation and identification, including one count
resulting in death. The defendant was extradited to the United States from Bosnia and Herzegovina
yesterday and is scheduled to be arraigned at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis at
the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York.

Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana J. Boente, Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M.
Rohde for the Eastern District of New York, Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr., of the
FBI's New York Field Office and Commissioner James P. O'Neill of the NYPD announced the extradition
and charges.

"As part of his support for ISIS, the defendant traveled overseas and, while abroad, recruited and
facilitated the travel of foreign fighters to join the terrorist organization," said Acting Assistant Attorney
General Boente. "The National Security Division will continue to use all its tools to disrupt the flow of
foreign fighters and bring to justice those who provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations."

"As alleged, defendant Kandic abandoned the United States, his adopted country, and joined ISIS, a
violent terrorist organization opposed to the U.S. and its interests," stated Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M.
Rohde. "From Turkey, he proceeded to recruit others to join ISIS, swelling their ranks and helping them
commit terrorist acts such as suicide bombings. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will
continue to prosecute ISIS members, as well as other terrorists, to the fullest extent of the law." Ms.
Rohde thanked the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the FBI Legal Attaché's Office in Sarajevo, and
the Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs, for their assistance in the investigation and
effecting the defendant's extradition.

"As alleged, at the same time Kandic lived freely among us in New York, he expressed a desire to travel
overseas to kill or maim U.S. military forces," stated Assistant Director in Charge Sweeney. "Kandic
eventually put his desire in action when he traveled to Turkey to join ISIS, and from there he set about
recruiting others, including Jake Bilardi, to support his cause. Just prior to Bilardi successfully detonating
a suicide bomb in Ramadi, Kandic told Bilardi he hoped Bilardi's victims' organs would 'implode,' and just
after the attack, Kandic publicized it on Twitter. Kandic is now back in New York, no longer living freely
among us, but rather in federal custody to face justice. "

As alleged in the indictment and other court filings, prior to November 2013, while living in the Bronx and
Brooklyn, Kandic expressed the desire to travel overseas to engage in "jihad" against U.S. military forces
to obtain martyrdom. In December 2013, Kandic traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, and joined ISIS. From
there, Kandic recruited individuals from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and elsewhere,
to travel to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria and Iraq and serve as foreign fighters. In online
communications with an associate, Kandic stated he worked in ISIS's Border Office in Turkey and was
part of a team that conducted background checks of foreign fighters seeking to join ISIS in Syria. Kandic
told associates that he traveled to and from ISIS-controlled territory, including Raqqa, Syria, in connection
with his work with ISIS. In a recorded voice memo from Kandic to an associate, Kandic stated, "I have a
lot of Mujahideen in Europe, a lot," and "I sent out over 20,000 brothers . . . to Sham." "Mujahideen"
refers to fighters. "Sham" is frequently used by ISIS members to refer to the region of the Levant,
including Syria.

One of the individuals Kandic assisted was Jake Bilardi, an 18-year-old Australian citizen who traveled
from Melbourne, Australia, to Istanbul, Turkey, in August 2014. A few days before Bilardi flew to Turkey,
Kandic sent Twitter messages instructing Bilardi to stand in a particular section of an airport in Istanbul.
Kandic informed Bilardi that he would send someone to meet him there. From Turkey, Bilardi traveled to
ISIS-controlled territory in Syria and Iraq. Kandic continued to communicate with Bilardi and encouraged
him to follow through with his plan to commit a suicide attack in Iraq. In early March 2015, Bilardi
informed Kandic via Twitter that he "just went to look at my target today for my operation." Kandic
replied, "May Allah reward you immensely." Kandic later added: "May Allah make there [sic] inner organs
implode." On March 11, 2015, Bilardi committed a suicide bombing in Ramadi, Iraq. Kandic publicized
the attack via Twitter.

Kandic also worked to further ISIS's media and propaganda operations. Kandic set up and used over 100
Twitter accounts to provide updates about ISIS attacks and territorial gains, which announcements were
close in time to when the events occurred.

If convicted, Kandic faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The charges in the indictment are
allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Trial Attorneys Jennifer Levy and Jolie Zimmerman of the National Security Division's Counterterrorism
Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Saritha Komatireddy, Tiana A. Demas and J. Matthew Haggans of
the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting this case.

This document has been published on 08Nov17 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a
prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational
purposes.